Anderson's sister says ex-hostage never thanked her

November 06, 1992|By Knight-Ridder Newspapers

Peggy Say writes that Terry Anderson has never thanked her for her 6 1/2 -year effort to get him released from captivity in Lebanon, but in a statement yesterday she said she didn't blame him, citing her own "unrealistic expectations."

In December's Redbook, Ms. Say said she had barely seen her brother since his release Dec. 4 and that they speak only occasionally. She notes that he invited two of her siblings -- but not her -- to the Bahamas where he retreated after his release. "I felt crushed that he hadn't invited me," Ms. Say writes.

She says she confronted Mr. Anderson about their alienation from each other but he hung up on her when she cried. She adds that she fought off depression most of the year but realized that the two never were close. "Terry had never given me much of himself or his time," she writes. "His career was his life, then and now."

In her statement, Ms. Say said her unedited version made it clear there was "not any failure on the part of Terry." She added that her purpose in writing "was to set to rest speculation that Terry was angry at me because he believed that publicity had prolonged his captivity. He did not believe that was the case."

Contacted at New York's Freedom Forum Media Studies Center, Mr. Anderson said he hadn't read the article and refused comment.